Girl in the War
by awesomesausome
Summary: "What he means is that she can go home, because he isn't going anywhere. Maggie is his responsibility. They're all his responsibility, and he won't leave until they can all leave." Post 2 x 4. A look at what happens after Maggie's deposition.
1. I got a girl in the war

This happened because I'm convinced that Mac and Will are back together by the time we reach the deposition scenes. Convinced. All right, maybe not convinced, but really, really hoping that I'm right. I also wanted to see some Maggie/Will/Mac bonding, and I don't know where that came from, but I went with it. I'm still torn as to whether or not I want to continue or just leave it as a one shot. We'll see. Hopefully you like it!

The title is from one of my all time favorite songs by Josh Ritter. All time favorite.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

* * *

_And I got a girl in the war, Paul, the only thing I know to do  
Is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through  
Because the keys to the kingdom got locked inside the kingdom  
And the angels fly around in there, but we can't see them  
And I got a girl in the war, Paul, I know that they can hear me yell  
If they can't find a way to help her, they can go to Hell_- Josh Ritter

* * *

When the door finally opens, and Mackenzie appears in the doorway, Will can tell that she's been put through the ringer.

"Maggie, I think you're up," Mac says with a sigh, and Maggie climbs to her feet. Will feels badly about putting Maggie through this too, after all she's been through this past year, and he's so frustrated that he feels like punching something, and instead clenches his hands into fists and tips his head back to rest against the wall.

Mac slides down the wall to sit on the floor next to him, taking one of his hands and unclenching it to slide her fingers in between his.

"We can go home," he offers. "We don't have to sit here." What he means is that she can go home, because he isn't going anywhere. Maggie is his responsibility. They're all his responsibility, and he won't leave until they can all leave. But Mac doesn't have to stay. She looks exhausted, but she shakes her head.

"Of course we have to sit here," she replies. "We'll wait for Maggie." And she rests her head down on his shoulder and he presses a kiss to the crown of her head.

"How'd it go?"

"Awful," she mutters, turning her face so she's looking up at him. "I wish I had never heard the word Genoa."

"You and me both," he says. Mac stretches her legs out in front of her and it takes him a minute to realize that she's crying. "Mac, please, don't." He wraps his arms around her and pulls her to him.

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I'm just so tired."

"You need to go home," he insists.

"No, no, I'll be okay," Mac argues, trying to get a hold on her emotions.

"Mac," he tries again.

"I don't want to go home alone," she admits quietly. "I'm fine, Billy. Really. It's just been a long day." What it's been is a long year, he thinks, but doesn't say it out loud. It's been kind of a crappy year too, with the exception being he and Mackenzie finally working through their shit.

She moved into his apartment only two months after they had gotten back together, and it had been the best decision that either of them had made. They couldn't pick up where they had left off, but it was also ridiculous to pretend that they could start over again.

He doesn't say anything, he just tightens his hold on her shoulders as they wait for Maggie.

When Maggie comes out, she finds Mackenzie and Will, their hands tangled together, and their heads leaned in towards one another talking quietly. They both look up when she steps out.

"You didn't need to wait," she says flatly.

"Yes we did," he replies.

"I don't think they think I'm a very good character witness," she tells Will. "I think they think I'm too broken."

"They can go fuck themselves," he replies.

"Are we done?" Mac asks.

"For the time being, I think so," Will replies, and he stands, stretching, and reaches down to help Mackenzie to her feet. The three of them head towards the elevator in silence, but when they reach the ground floor and Maggie shrugs on her jacket to leave, Mackenzie reaches out and touches her arm.

"Why don't you come back to our place?" She offers. "None of us are fit for the company of others, and I don't think, even as tired as I am, I'll be able to sleep for awhile." She's worried about Maggie.

"I'm okay," Maggie says. "I can call Jim."

"You can," Will steps in. "But you won't. Come on, come back with us." He's not sure what's going on with Maggie and Jim. They're still working through their shit, and while she and her friend Lisa seemed to have worked out their problems for the most part, he heard Jim tell Mac that Lisa's out of town for the week.

Maggie's floundering, and Mac's not the only one who feels guilty about it.

"I don't," Maggie tries again, but Mac interrupts.

"I'm not taking no for an answer," she says gently. Lonny pulls up in the car, because on top of their incredibly shitty and stressful year, Will still has death threats hanging over his head, and he never worried about it before, but now that Mac is living in his apartment, and by his side most of the time, he's started to take it more seriously. He's not worried about himself, he's worried that she'll get hurt in the crossfire.

Mac lets Maggie slide in first, and then slides in next to her. Will climbs into the front seat, and tiredly tells Lonny that they're going home.

* * *

Maggie has only been in Will's apartment once, and that was for the party the night of Bin Laden. It's just as beautiful as she remembers, but she notices now Mackenzie's influence. It's less cold and modern, with fresh flowers on the table, and new pieces of art and photographs on the walls. An incredibly soft throw is tossed over the back of the couch, and Maggie resists the urge to cocoon herself in it when Mac goes to find her something to change into, and Will disappears in the kitchen to fix them something to eat.

Mac reappears first, holding out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and hoodie.

"I hope these fit," she says. "The guest room is right down that hall." She points and Maggie goes in the direction she pointed. She closes the door to the bedroom behind her, and stands for a minute in the middle of the room and wonders what she's doing here. Her parents, the Midwesterners that they were, were always in awe that she worked with _the_ Will McAvoy. They'd shit themselves to know that she was standing in the middle of his guest bedroom changing into clothes that belong to his brilliant, beautiful, executive producer girlfriend.

Maggie didn't tell them much about her trip to Africa. She glossed over the details, and as far as they knew she was doing just fine. She claimed the haircut was because Lisa dared her to do it, and doesn't tell them that if she can help it, she'll never go back to blonde.

_"Nothing but trouble."_

It makes her shiver, and she peels off her dress and changes into the sweats. Mackenzie is normally smaller than her, but the clothes fit fine thanks to the fact that Maggie isn't sure she's had a full meal in almost a year. When she emerges, Will and Mac are sitting on the couch, a glass of wine in each of their hands, and Will is tucking a piece of Mac's hair behind her ear. Maggie feels uncomfortable for a moment, wishing that she would have been more adamant about them letting her go home.

"You hungry?" Mac asks when she spots her.

She starts to say, "not really," but it smells wonderful in the apartment, and she says so.

"It's Will," Mackenzie replies. "I can't cook to save my life."

"I'll go check on the food," Will says standing and walking into the kitchen.

"Would you like a glass of wine?" Mac asks. Maggie nods. "Listen, Maggie. I didn't...I should have talked to you. I know that Jim did. And Jim's great, but..." Mac pauses, tilting her head thoughtfully. "I don't know exactly what you're going through. Our stories are completely different, and they're each _ours_, and we can't, and shouldn't compare. But I do know what it's like to feel overwhelmed, and I've seen things and experienced things that I wish that I hadn't. I would give anything to not have."

"Mac," Maggie starts.

"I'm saying, what I'm trying to say, unsuccessfully I think, is that I don't know what you're going through, but if you need to talk, if you need to hear my stories, if you need to feel less alone? I'm here." Before Maggie can answer, Will appears to announce that food is ready and Mac straightens and smiles at him.

"I'm starved," she announces. "Come on, Maggie, let's get something to eat."

* * *

After Maggie picks at her food, and they eat in relative silence, Mac offers the use of the spare bedroom.

"It's pretty comfortable," she says. "Ask Will. He has to sleep in there from time to time." And she gives Will a sideways grin, which he responds to with a shake of his head.

"It _is_ comfortable," he confirms and then presses a kiss to Mac's temple as he stands and gathers their plates.

"I should go home," Maggie tries, but she doesn't really _want_ to go home. It's been nice, being here with Will and Mackenzie. Neither one forced her to talk, and when they lapsed into comfortable silences, it wasn't awkward like it was sometimes with Lisa and even Jim. She liked their company, and for the first time in such a long time she didn't feel like she was going to start crying at any moment.

"Stay, please. Will won't make breakfast for just me, but I bet I can convince him to make his world famous pancakes if you stay," Mac smiles, and Maggie is nodding before she even knows what she's doing.

"I'll clean up," Will offers. "You can show Maggie where everything is." Mac leans over and gives him a soft kiss, and Maggie is amazed by how affectionate they are with each other. At work they are nothing but professional, with only minimal physical contact. Maggie's not used to seeing this side of them.

"You know where the bedroom is," Mackenzie says. "The bathroom is right through here. There are clean towels and a spare toothbrush right under here."

"Thank you for letting me stay," Maggie tells her.

"Anytime," Mac puts a hand on Maggie's arm and gives it a small squeeze. "I mean that, Maggie, anytime." She leaves then, closing the door behind her and leaving Maggie alone.

She calls Jim to let him know that she's safe and that she's at Will and Mac's. She has several missed calls from him, and she figures that he's probably freaking out.

"I'm at Will and Mac's," she says when he answers.

"What?"

"They invited me to stay. Actually it wasn't really an invitation. I mean, I don't think I had much of a choice."

"I can come get you?"

"No," she says quickly. "I'm going to bed. It's been…nice, actually. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I just wanted to tell you that I was fine." It's amazing, but for the first time in a long time, she actually is fine. Or not fine, but as close to it as she's been in a long time. She actually ate some of Will's dinner, and she appreciated that Will and Mac didn't push her into conversation. They were content eating in silence, with only the occasional topic of conversation. And it wasn't awkward. It was nice.

Jim tries again, but Maggie is able to hold him off and she hangs up and slides into the bed and sinks down into the comfortable mattress. Of course Mac and Will's extra bed is more comfortable than own bed. It's incredible, really, and she lets out a sigh as she curls under the covers, and while she still doesn't sleep _well_, she sleeps better than she has in months.

* * *

Mac curls up next to Will, his hand wrapped around hers lying on his chest.

"I feel terrible," Mac murmurs.

"I know."

"Today was awful," she adds, and he brushes a kiss to the top of her hairline. "I mean, maybe one of the most awful days of my life."

"Tomorrow probably won't be much better," Will says, ever the optimist, and she pinches him with her free hand.

"I'm glad Maggie stayed here tonight."

"You didn't give her much of a choice," Will points out.

"She's so…" Mac searches for the right word and comes up empty. Broken was the word she was going to use, but Mac feels bad saying it out loud. "Do you think they'll still use her as a character witness?"

"They have to," Will replies. "And for our sake, she has to do well."

"I hate that there's so much pressure on her," Mac sighs. "This is the last thing that she needs."

"You can't help it," he says. "A thousand things could have gone a different way, and we wouldn't be where we are right now. But they didn't. And here we are. And Maggie will be okay. Eventually. Someday. Hopefully. Maybe."

"You're in rare form tonight, Mr. Doom and Gloom," Mackenzie tells him. He tightens the arm that's wrapped around her and sighs.

"Days like today tend to bring out the cynic in me," Will replies. "Hell, days like today tend to bring out the cynic in most people." Even Mac has been down lately, and Will hates it. Hope springs eternal in Mackenzie, but since this stuff with Genoa and with Maggie, her spirits have been dampened, and it makes Will want to hurt someone, blame someone, but he's not sure who to blame.

Jerry Dantana is one candidate. Rebecca Halliday is another, although that's not quite fair because she's trying to get them out of the mess, and it's not her fault that they're in the mess in the first place. Jerry wins then. Will's good at projecting blame and anger onto undeserving recipients, but Jerry completely deserves it. Will never liked him in the first place, and someone should pay for making Mac sad.

"Tomorrow will be better. It has to be," Mackenzie declares and Will drops a kiss into her hair. "Think we can make banana walnut pancakes tomorrow? That would be a good start." Mac tilts her head to look up at him, her lovely mouth forming a small pout and it has the exact effect she wants it to.

"We?" He questions, and she grins.

"Well, you. When I said we, what I really meant was do you think _you_ can make banana walnut pancakes tomorrow morning. Obviously."

"Obviously." He hopes she's right. He hopes that tomorrow is better. And the day after that is even better, and they can forget about Genoa and Maggie can maybe get a normal haircut, though he's pretty sure Maggie will never be a blonde again, and he's pretty sure he doesn't blame her.

Tomorrow will be better, Mac's right, it just has to be. He can't handle much more, and Mackenzie can't handle much more, and Maggie really can't handle much more, and fuck it all. Fuck Jerry Dantana, and fuck Genoa, and fuck Uganda.

He tightens his hold on Mac, and is grateful for that; that she's in his bed, in his arms, and they've managed to get through their bullshit, and that at the very least after this ultra shitty day, he got to come home with Mackenzie.

It's not much, but it's something, and he'll take it.


	2. Man, I wonder what it is we done

I had to continue it, I did. Because I wanted to revisit a world where Mac and Will are together, and I have to keep believing that it will exist some day in canon. I need Nina to be a distant memory. And judging from the promos for this Sunday, I'm not getting my wish any time soon. Blargh. This is somewhat AU, I suppose, because my Maggie is at least speaking to Lisa, and Jim is certainly not dating Hallie. I think that about covers it. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Not a single one.

* * *

Maggie wakes up to the sound of faint laughter and the smell of pancakes. She had actually eaten something last night, which was a change from usual.

She also slept a little better than normal, and she credits the incredibly comfortable bed she slept in, and also the fact that they are far up enough above the city streets that she doesn't hear nearly as many of the ambient city noises here as she does in her apartment. Cars backfiring in her neighborhood make her jump awake, thinking she's hearing gunshots.

She climbs out of bed and pads down the hall to the kitchen. Will has a spatula in one hand, and with the other, he's pushing Mac away playfully.

"You can wait, Mackenzie!" He shakes a finger at her, and Mac giggles, trying to reach around him to snag a piece of bacon. Will's trying hard to keep a stern face, but Maggie can see the corners of his mouth threatening to tug up.

"I'm wasting away here, Billy," Mac whines, and Maggie files the nickname away for future reference. Billy. Who knew? Will was so _not_ a Billy.

"Maggie will be up soon, I'm sure, and then you can eat," Will states, and Maggie takes that as her cue to step all the way into the kitchen and clear her throat.

"Maggie! Thank God! I can eat!" Mac declares. "Will made breakfast."

"I can smell it," Maggie answers, and she gives Mac a small smile.

"There's coffee," Will tells her, gesturing to the coffee pot. "Cups are right there." Maggie nods, gratefully, shuffling towards the coffee pot. Mac takes that opportunity to tug on Will's arm and mouth,

"She _smiled_," with a stupid grin on her face. Will can't help but lean forward and place a soft kiss on Mac's smiling lips.

"Can I do anything to help?" Maggie asks.

"Not a thing, sit down," Mac instructs. "I set the table."

"It's about the only thing that Mackenzie can do in the kitchen," Will teases.

"I do it well, though," Mac points out. There are fresh flowers in the vase, and freshly squeezed orange juice in a pitcher on the table, a bowl overflowing with fruit salad, and an incredible looking stack of pancakes, and Maggie's stomach actually growls, and she's as surprised as anyone.

Will slides a plate of bacon on the table and takes a seat next to Mac, who is already piling food onto her plate.

"Did you sleep well?" Mackenzie asks. She thinks about her first few months back after being embedded. She remembers sleeping only a few minutes at a time, little noises waking her up, her heart racing and her palms sweating before reminding herself that she was back at home, in her own apartment, safe. She thinks it's probably the same for Maggie, and she wouldn't be surprised if Maggie hasn't slept a full night of sleep in a year.

"I actually slept better than I have in a while," Maggie admits. "You have a really great guest bed."

"It's Mac's old bed from her apartment," Will says, reaching over and stealing a piece of Mac's bacon. She swats at his hand, and Maggie is struck with the ease of their relationship. She knows they worked damn hard to get to this point, but she's a little jealous of it.

"It is a great bed," Mac sighs. "I loved that bed."

"That bed was almost a deal breaker when it came time for us to move in together," Will tells Maggie.

"I really, _really_ loved that bed," Mac says wistfully. Maggie almost laughs at the exasperated look on Will's face.

"It's not like I didn't have an equally good bed," Will argues. "I had a better bed, actually."

"You had a more _expensive_ bed," Mackenzie corrects. "Not necessarily better."

"Bigger," Will points out.

"Well, sure, but why would you want to be further away from me? How much room do you need in bed, man? Should we build a wall of pillows between us in case, God forbid, we accidentally touch each other?" Mac shoots back.

"I didn't mean to start this," Maggie groans, but she realizes that she's enjoying herself. There's something familiar and safe about Will and Mac's bickering, and she always did like watching them try to one up the other.

"I'm not dignifying your question with an answer," Will tells Mackenzie, who just smiles and steals a piece of strawberry off his plate.

"This was a good idea," Mackenzie says, when Maggie disappears down to change back into her work clothes, leaving Mac's borrowed clothes neatly folded on the end of the guest bed. "She got some sleep, she actually ate something. I consider it a success." She and Will are curled up on the couch, a book in Will's lap and some paperwork in Mac's. She leans into his side and he drapes his arm against the back of the couch.

"You bullied her into coming here," Will points out. Mac frowns at him, pinching his side. "But yes, I would consider it a success." He doesn't say anymore because Maggie appears in the living room.

"Are you sure I can't take the clothes home to wash them?" Maggie offers again, and just like the first time, Mac waves the suggestion away.

"Not necessary," Mac smiles at Maggie. "It was really great to have you, Maggie. If you need anything, you know we're always here."

Maggie shifts her weight, slightly uncomfortably, and nods.

"Thanks, Mac," she says softly. "I should go though. I'll see you guys Monday."

"I'll walk you out," Will stands. He leads the way to the elevator and presses the button. He and Maggie stand there for a moment, until she speaks up.

"It was actually nice, being here. Home is not…it's not good right now. I don't really like being by myself much," Maggie's voice is quiet. "So thank Mac again for me. And thank you." The elevator doors slide open and Will steps in with her at the last moment.

"Mac's better at this than I am," he starts. "But seriously Maggie, if you need to stay here, any time, please let us know. We'll be happy to have you." They reach the lobby and Maggie steps out.

"See you later, Will," Maggie waves slightly and steps out onto the sidewalk. Will watches her for a minute, until she turns to head towards the subway, and then he sighs and steps back into the elevator.

Mackenzie is waiting for him when he gets to their apartment, an expectant look on her face.

"Do you think she'll actually ever come to us when she's feeling overwhelmed?" Mac asks. Will sinks down next to her on the couch and brushes a kiss along her hairline.

"She's always overwhelmed, sweetheart," he answers. "But no, I don't think she'll come to us."

* * *

Will was wrong.

But it didn't happen right away.

It took three and a half weeks.

It was a Thursday night, and Mac was fast asleep. Will wasn't, but that wasn't unusual. His bouts of insomnia were well documented, and while having Mackenzie back in his life and his apartment had certainly lessened the frequency, there were still nights when he just couldn't sleep.

Mackenzie was curled up beside him in bed, her arms curled around a pillow, and her face almost nearly pressed into his thigh. He was sitting up; watching the news with the volume low and a half completed crossword puzzle in his lap. He was trying to figure out number 27 down when Mac's phone rang. She stirred, but Will managed to reach across her and grab it before it woke her up. She had been fighting a cold all week, on top of what had been a pretty stressful work week, and he wanted to let her sleep if he could. He glanced at the screen and was surprised to see Maggie's name.

He slid out of bed, and out into the hall and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Will? Did I call your phone?"

"No, I answered Mac's. She's sleeping."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called."

"No, no, it's okay," Will said. "What's the matter, Maggie?"

"I just…I didn't know…you know, it's okay. I can call Jim. He can come pick me up." Will was awake now, and while he wasn't very good all the time at this kind of thing, he knew enough to know that if she was calling Mac instead of Jim or Lisa, there was probably a reason.

"I'll come get you, Maggie. Tell me where you are," Will instructed. "I can even wake up Mac if you want, and she'll come."

"No, no, let her sleep," Maggie said hurriedly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, tell me where you are." Maggie rattled off the name of some dive bar in Queens and Will suppressed the urge to sigh.

"Stay put, I'll be there soon." He hung up the phone and wondered what in the hell Maggie was doing in Queens at one thirty in the morning when she lived in Manhattan in walking distance of at least twelve bars.

He paused in his bedroom, glancing down at Mackenzie, still sleeping, and changed into a pair of jeans and slid on a pair of shoes.

"Will?" Mac turned, her voice drowsy and warm with sleep.

"Maggie called," Will said. "I'm going to go pick her up."

"Maggie called?" Mac repeated, surprised. "Where is she?"

"Queens," Will answered, shrugging on a jacket.

"Do you want me to come?"

"No, sweetheart, you sleep. I'll see if I can convince her to come back here with me," Will kissed her gently and left his nice, warm apartment and for a moment he cursed Maggie a little bit. He didn't bother calling Lonny, although he knew he'd get yelled at for that by both Mac and Lonny, instead hailing a cab and giving it the address that Maggie had given him.

Maggie was sitting outside when he pulled up, hugging her knees to her chest with her back up against the side of the bar. She jumped to her feet when Will stepped out of the cab.

"Thank you so much, I owe you so much," she said and Will noticed immediately that she was pretty drunk.

"Come on," he said, leading her gently to the cab and helping her climb in. Maggie slid in first, and Will slid in after her. The first part of the ride was quiet, until Will couldn't help but ask,

"What the hell are you doing all the way out here?"

"It's a long story," Maggie said with a sigh. "I'm fighting with Jim. And Lisa still occasionally likes to give me the cold shoulder, and I met this guy last week and he invited me out to his neighborhood bar, and I thought it might be fun to try something new, you know?" Will didn't, and he also didn't like where he thought this story was heading. "And anyway, he wasn't…I think I was too fucked up for him, and he left with this girl, and I realized that I didn't have cab fare and the subways were done running for the night, and I just didn't know who I could call." Will ran a hand over his face.

Maggie was way more of a mess than he or Mac had realized. Jim had mentioned her drinking, but Will hadn't really taken him seriously. After all, he was the first person to turn to a bottle of scotch when things went sour, who was he to judge? He recognized that since he had unhealthy habits and was pretty fucked up, and he probably should have realized that something was amiss with the amount that Maggie was drinking. Plus with the Genoa shit, and their own personal shit, he and Mac had just sort of missed all the warning signs.

"You should," Will paused, trying to think of the best way to handle this. "You should probably talk to someone. I know a guy. He's pretty good. Mackenzie has someone too. She said she was a mess for a while after she got back from being embedded, and it helped to talk."

"Did a little boy die in her arms?" Maggie asked bluntly, and Will was taken aback by the anger in her voice. "Otherwise, I'm not sure if mine and Mac's situations are comparable."

"Jesus Maggie, no, they're not the same. But Mac was stabbed, and she saw some pretty awful shit, and I'm just saying, no matter what the situation is, everyone's a little fucked up and it helps to talk about it. Granted, some of us are more fucked up than others, but still." Maggie didn't say anything for the rest of the drive until they pulled up in front of Will's building.

"I'd rather go home," she said.

"Too bad," Will answered. He paid the driver and climbed out of the car, holding the door open for her.

"I can actually walk from here if I have to," Maggie said.

"No, you can't. And no, you won't."

"I'm not a child. And we're off the clock, so you aren't my boss right now."

"Doesn't matter. You're acting like a child, and you're staying here tonight. You just said that Lisa is giving you the cold shoulder and that you and Jim are fighting. You also said that you disliked being alone, and so you're coming up with me. You can talk or not talk to Mac in the morning, but you're not going home. You're in no shape to be alone." Maggie sighed, and got out of the car, following Will to the elevator.

It was once they stepped into Mac and Will's apartment that all the fight seemed to drain out of her. She held it together only until Mackenzie stepped into the living room holding clean clothes for her, and then she began to sob, wrapping her arms around herself.

Startled, Mac dropped the clothes and pulled Maggie into a hug and then pulled both of them down onto the couch.

"I'm sorry," Maggie kept repeating. "I'm sorry. I'm such a fucking mess."

"It's okay," Mac soothed, running her hand up and down Maggie's back. Will stood, unsure of what he should do.

"I yelled at Will," Maggie realized. "Oh Jesus. I yelled at _Will._"

"Sometimes he deserves it," Mac replied. She held onto Maggie, rocking her back and forth until Maggie had calmed down a little more.

"I don't know what to do," Maggie whispered.

"Talking to someone helps," Mac suggested, and Will's eyes widened and braced himself for an outburst that didn't come.

"Will said that too," Maggie said.

"Sometimes he knows what he's talking about. Only sometimes though," Mac caught Will's eye and gave him a small smile. "Come on, let's get you to bed. We'll talk in the morning, and maybe we can make an appointment. Will claims his guy is pretty good. My guy is better."

"Of course he is," Will replied rolling his eyes, so, so grateful for Mac. He was the luckiest son of a bitch on this planet to have her in his life, and so was Maggie. She just didn't know it, or probably more accurately, she just didn't care yet.

She would. Maggie would realize how important it was to have someone like Mackenzie McHale watching out for you. Love you. Take care of you. There was nothing better in the world, and Will was just relieved he had finally gotten his head out of his ass and allowed Mac to love him again.

He let out a long breath, and waited for Mac to return from leading Maggie down the hall to the guest room. When she appeared, her eyes watery and her hands shaking, Will pulled her to him. Mac buried her head in his neck and wept.

"I'm not sure what to do to help her," Mac's words were muffled, and Will held her close and let her cry.

He understood feeling useless. He felt completely useless. Maggie was hurting, Mac was hurting, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to fix any of it.

"Let's go to bed," he said. "There's nothing else we can do tonight."

* * *

The following morning was nothing like the last time Maggie stayed. There was no playful teasing or big breakfast. Instead, when Will emerged from their bedroom, he found Mackenzie and Maggie talking quietly on the couch, Maggie nodding every once in a while. They both looked up when he stepped into the room and dropped a kiss onto the top of Mac's head.

"Good morning," he said as he walked into the kitchen and straight to the coffee pot.

"I'd like to apologize," Maggie said, standing and walking in behind him.

"Please don't," he told her.

"Mac's going to take me to see her guy today," Maggie said softly.

"That's good," Will answered. He gave her a small smile. He hoped it helped. He really did.

"Thank you for coming to get me last night."

"Anytime," Will waved his hand. Mac came in and slid her hand around his waist, leaning in to press a kiss to his jaw.

"Will's a big softy, I keep telling everyone, but no one will listen," Mac complained with a grin.

"I won't tell. Your secret nice side is safe with me," Maggie solemnly vowed, but she gave him a soft smile and he hid his own smile in his coffee mug.

He knew that his reputation for being a grump had taken a battering when Mackenzie moved back in with him. She tended to bring out his softer side, although she claimed it was always there, lurking just under the surface.

"You're a good man," she would tell him over and over again. He would grunt at her in response, and she would ignore him. "You are. I don't know why you think that's some big secret. Everyone knows that you're actually the nice one in this relationship." She would nudge his shoulder. "You're the better half, Billy."

"Absolutely untrue," he argued.

"Let's agree to disagree," Mac said in response.

He sat sipping his coffee as Mackenzie and Maggie got ready to leave for Maggie's first appointment.

"I'm going to go with her," Mac told him when Maggie disappeared down the hall to get dressed. "I remember that first session. It was awful. I wished more than anything to have someone there with me." She left the rest unspoken. That she had wished _he_ had been there with her. Will had been a large part of the conversation in those first sessions. The stabbing and Will. Mackenzie was still unsure which topic had been more painful to discuss.

"We'll be back," Mackenzie said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He waved to them as Mac hustled Maggie out.

He really, _really_, hoped it worked.


	3. The only thing I know to do

I wanted to get this done earlier, but I was away all weekend drinking wine at a wine festival. Fact. But here's the next chapter! I have a good part of the next part written. It was going to be one long chapter, but I wanted to get this part up so I broke it into two. Hopefully you like it, and thanks again for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

* * *

Mackenzie returns without Maggie a few hours later looking exhausted and in need of a stiff drink.

She collapses on the couch next to Will and he brushes a piece of her hair out of her face and tucks it behind her ear. She sighs and rests her head on his shoulder.

"How'd we miss it?" She asks in a small voice. "Have we really been that caught up in ourselves that we didn't notice Maggie was struggling?"

"We had other things to worry about, Mac," Will points out. But he knows that he and Mac have been wrapped up in each other the past few months. And any other energy had been stolen by Genoa and cleaning up Jerry Fucking Dantana's mess. As badly as both of them felt about Maggie, the truth was that she had been an afterthought. A peripheral problem that had suddenly come wildly into focus.

Mac doesn't reply to this, instead she picks up Will's hand and intertwines their fingers together.

"She talked to Dr. O'Brien," she reports softly. "She was in there for a while. That's good, right?" Will answers by pressing a kiss to her temple.

Mackenzie had taken Maggie to get something to eat after the appointment, and she had told Maggie that if she wanted to talk she was there to listen.

"No offense, but I think I'm all talked out," Maggie had said apologetically. But the silence had been deafening, so Mac had filled it by chattering on about Will and her family. Mackenzie felt so far out of her wheelhouse, and she hated feeling inadequate about anything.

"I don't know what else to do," Mac says. "I want to do more, and I'm not even sure that what I'm doing is helping."

"You're doing the best you can," Will answers. "Honestly, Mac, we're both so woefully unprepared for this. For Christ's sake, we're not therapists or counselors. I'm a television anchor. You're my EP. We're figuring this shit out as we go along." She nods, satisfied for the moment.

"She wanted me to thank you again," Mac tells him, tipping her head to gaze up at him. She was surprised that Maggie called her the night before, but she wasn't surprised that Will stepped up and went and picked her up. Will was a good guy, no, he was the _best_ guy, and she thinks that Maggie would have been better calling Will in the first place, and not Mac. "You're a good man, Will McAvoy." Will snorts.

"What was I going to do? Leave her at some shithole in Queens?" He scoffs. "If you had answered your phone instead of me, you would have gone to get her too, I know you would have." Actually, she thinks, even if she had answered the phone, he probably would have insisted on going, or at least coming with her to go get Maggie. He wouldn't have liked the idea of bundling Mackenzie into a cab in the middle of the night and sending her off to Queens to some dive bar to pick up a drunk and clearly emotionally damaged Maggie alone.

"She has another appointment on Tuesday," Mackenzie says. "I'm going to take her. I'll miss the morning rundown meeting, but we should be back by early afternoon. I don't want her to think that she has to go through any of this alone. Dealing with this, it's hard." He feels guilty sometimes, when Mackenzie talks about the struggle she had when she first got home.

She always is quick to reassure him that he shouldn't feel guilty; that they weren't speaking then, but there's an image of Mac waking up from a nightmare, terrified and alone, that just won't leave him. It's almost as awful as when he thinks about her being stabbed, when he thinks about how Jim carried her to the medics while she bled and faded in and out of consciousness.

Mac doesn't talk much about that day, and Will had finally gone to another source to get the details.

"I just want to know so that I can help her," Will had told Jim honestly. "She has nightmares sometimes still, and I'm not sure what happened so I don't know how to deal with it." Jim had looked unsure, but Will had been adamant. He wanted to know what happened, and he didn't want Mac to have to relive the events.

So Jim told him about the stabbing, about the look on Mac's face when it happened, and how Jim couldn't get there fast enough, how Mac was swallowed up by the crowds, and the way her hands shook and were sticky with blood. How Jim scooped her up in his arms, her arm hooked around his neck and her eyes fluttering open and close.

Jim told Will how she had asked for him, murmured his name over and over, and grabbed Jim's hand as they were wheeling her away for surgery and made him promise that if anything happened, he would call her parents and Will.

He told Will about the phone call to her parents, how awful it was, and Will can picture it in his head: Jim slumped against the wall of a dirty, crowded hospital, a satellite phone pressed to his ear, covered in Mackenzie's blood as he tries to update her parents, thousands of miles away and feeling useless and scared, about Mac's condition.

Will owes a lot of people a lot of things, but there's nothing he can ever do or say to repay Jim for saving Mackenzie's life. He owes that kid _everything_.

Everyone has their demons, but Mac has more than her fair share. He knows that what Maggie went through is different, of course it is, but if anyone has a chance at understanding what she's dealing with, it's Mackenzie.

He's just grateful that when she bolts awake in bed, trembling, her hand going to rest where her scar is, he's there to tug her close to him now. He's gotten good at it, he likes to think, good at running his fingers through her hair as her breath evens and she calms down. Good at reminding her that she's home and she's safe, and over his dead body will anything ever happen to her again. She doesn't have nightmares all that often, thank God, but he's there when she does.

"She says she gets nightmares almost every time she closes her eyes. She sees that little boy, and it happens over and over and she can't change anything and she can't save him," Mackenzie's voice trembles slightly. "God, Will. I would give anything to go back in time and not allow her to go on that trip. She would have hated me, and it would have been worth it."

Will doesn't promise her that it will get better, because he doesn't know if it will. He knows that Maggie is hurting, and he knows that it's going to take a long time for her to stop hurting so much. He knows that she's going to be haunted by that night for the rest of her life; it's going to follow her, and there's nothing she can do, or Mac can do, or a goddamn therapist can do to change that.

But he doesn't say that out loud, because Mackenzie is a smart woman who knows all of that. So what he does instead is suggest that they go lay down, because the night before had been exhausting for both of them, and what he really wants to do is to hold Mac in his arms and forget about the world and all of their problems for awhile. Forget about Maggie and what happened to her; forget about Jerry Fucking Dantana and Genoa and the lawsuit. Forget that there are insurmountable problems they are facing, and that these things can't be easily fixed, or maybe fixed at all, and fuck it all.

And she tiredly nods, and allows him to lead her down the hall to their bedroom and curl up in their bed, his strong arms wrapped around her, and pretend for a little while that the world is so small that it just contains the two of them.


	4. Turn up the music

Thanks for the reviews! I'll be away next week, so this will have to last you for a week or so. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but I wanted to get it up before I left, so you'll have to let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

* * *

Will is not ashamed to admit that he gets antsy when Mackenzie isn't around. He's gotten used to her being around him at all times, and when she's not there it's disconcerting.

She keeps talking about how she needs to be fired, about how that will fix everything. Jerry's case won't have a leg to stand on if someone else, someone big, goes down too.

"No," he tells her in a way that leaves little room for argument. Or would, if she was anyone but Mackenzie McHale. They spent a good portion of the weekend arguing about it.

Will knows he'll never do it. Even though they live together and there's no danger of her disappearing out of his life even if they don't work together. There's no way he'll do it. He's like this after only a couple of hours without her, there's just no way that he can do his job if she's not there to do hers.

He'd quit if that happens, and he's told her that time and time again. They're at a standstill, with each of them being stubborn and each willing to sacrifice themselves to save the other.

It's frustrating, and if Will saw Jerry Dantana right now, he'd punch him in the face.

Will notices that Jim looks even more lost than he feels, and he takes pity on him and calls him into his office.

"Did you need something?" Jim asks.

"I just…how you doing, kid?" Will replies.

"I'm…fine?" Jim doesn't look fine, but then again, none of them do. Mackenzie is a zombie, stumbling forward on what little sleep Will insists she gets, and sheer adrenaline. Maggie couldn't have picked a worse time to fall apart.

"Are you?"

"Is this a trick question?" Jim asks, and Will shakes his head.

"Maggie depends on you," Will starts, and Jim interrupts.

"She used to," he says in a soft voice. "She doesn't really anymore." And Will can see that it's breaking Jim's heart. "I'm glad she has Mac, though. That's really good. If anyone can help her, it's Mac."

Jim has an unshakeable faith in Mackenzie. A fierce loyalty that Will appreciates. Genoa has done very little to spoil Jim's devotion to his EP. Jim would walk through fire for Mac, and it makes Will want to do everything he can to make things better for Jim.

"Mac's been through some things," Will agrees. "But so have you." Jim shifts uncomfortably, hoping Will doesn't bring up Islamabad. The last time, when he asked Jim to tell him what had happened to Mackenzie, Jim had had nightmares about it for at least a week. He'd wake up in a cold sweat, and he had to fight the urge to call Mackenzie's phone and reassure himself that she was okay. She was across town in the beautiful apartment she shared with Will, so incredibly far away from the war zone that it seemed like it must be a different world all together.

One nightmare had been so bad that he hadn't been able to resist, and Mac had answered on the third ring, her voice tired and confused.

"Hi, Jim, what's going on?" He didn't know how to tell her that he just needed to hear her voice, to dislodge the image of her bleeding and the sound of her whispering Will's name over and over again. He made up some excuse, and could hear Will in the background, asking what the problem was, and he apologized hastily to Mac and tried to hang up quickly.

"Jim?" Mac had said before he could hit the end button. "You can call me any time you want. Any time you need to, okay?" It was like she knew, just _knew_ why Jim was calling and what he needed.

"Maggie doesn't want to talk to me about it, any of it," Jim tells Will, shrugging. "She didn't want to talk to anyone, so I'm still not sure how Mac talked into talking to a doctor. How _did _she do it, by the way?" Will chuckles.

"You're asking me?" Will asks. But Jim knows. Mac always did have this way of making a person do something they didn't want to do and convincing them it was their idea all along. Exhibit A: being embedded. Exhibit B: following her to New York to work on revamping Will McAvoy's show without telling him that Will had no idea they were coming.

"Well, it's good," Jim nods his head. "It's really good." He stood there awkwardly for a moment, before Will spoke again.

"I just wanted…what I wanted to say was that if you need someone to talk to, I have been known to be, occasionally, a decent listener," Will says. Jim ducks his head and then gives Will a grateful smile.

"Thanks Will," he says before slipping back out of the office. When the door shuts behind him, Will lights a cigarette and takes a long breath and checks the time for the thousandth time to see how much longer until Mac and Maggie came back.

* * *

Mackenzie isn't good at sitting still.

And she's been sitting in this stupid chair, in this stupid waiting room, for what feels like an eternity, waiting for Maggie to be done with her appointment.

She doesn't begrudge Maggie her breakdown, Lord knows Mac's had her fair share of those, but she wishes that it had come at a better time. Mac's trying to avoid her own meltdown, and taking on Maggie's problems isn't helping matters any.

But Will's not the only one who feels responsible for their staff. And ultimately Mac was the one who okayed Maggie's trip to Uganda, and so Mac will sit in this chair for as long or as many times as she has to.

She's on minute forty three when her phone rings. She's not surprised to see Will's name on the screen.

"I will not fire you," he says by way of a greeting. "Because I'm going crazy here without you. How do you deal with Sloan on a daily basis?" She giggles slightly.

"I tend not to fully listen to her when she talks," Mac admits. "And just let her have a few extra minutes. The economy's very important, you know."

"How's it going there?"

"It's fine," she sighs. "I'm reading the paper."

"Anything good in there?"

"No." She closes the newspaper sitting in her lap and caps her highlighter. "I'm helping, right? Tell me I'm helping."

"You're helping," he parrots back, and then he repeats it more vehemently. "You're helping." Mac closes her eyes and tips her head back.

"Will?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm…I don't know…" She feels like crying, all the time. She's exhausted, and not just from their late night phone call from Maggie. She's feeling rundown, and emotional, and she just wants to crawl into bed next to Will and sleep for the next fifty days.

"Are you okay, Kenz? Do you need me to come there?" She doesn't answer. She knows that she's panicking Will. He's worried about her. He's worried about Maggie. He's worried about their jobs, and their trust numbers, and about what having to go through a lawsuit will do to Mac. "Mackenzie?" She hears him swear softly under his breath and takes a deep breath and tries to lighten her voice.

"No, no, I'm just…I'm fine. She's almost done. We'll be back soon."

"Mac," he tries.

"Seriously. I don't know what's wrong with me today. Don't worry about it. This is about Maggie, and I'm just…I'm nothing. I'm fine." She knows Will doesn't believe her, and she knows this is going to be a thing when they get back to the office, but she's saved from saying anything else when the door opens and Maggie steps out. "I've got to go, Will. I'll see you back at the office."

"Okay, and Mac?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." She smiles softly, and the weight on her chest seems to lift slightly and she can breathe a little better.

As shitty as things are, and they are shitty, at least there's that. At least Will loves her, and she loves him. At least she's not going home to an empty apartment and a cold bed.

* * *

Will is waiting in her office when she gets back. He's got a scotch in his hand, because Mackenzie has a pretty strict no smoking in her office policy, but he could really use a cigarette. Talking to her on the phone had not eased his worried mind like he thought it would, but instead made it a hundred times worse.

She sounded so broken, as if she was barely holding it together, and he hates it. He hates that he can't do anything to fix it. Maggie needs her. They all need her.

"I should have known I would find you here," she says when she steps through the door. He doesn't say anything, just stands and wraps his arms around her. She tucks her head under his chin and he tightens his hold. It takes him a second to realize that she's shaking, and then suddenly his shirt is damp where her face is pressed into it, and she's clutching the back of his shirt in her hands.

"Hey, hey, what's the matter?" He asks, but immediately feels dumb. There are so many things that are the matter, he's not sure where she'll start.

"I'm just tired," her voice is muffled. "Poor Maggie. I'm not sure if talking to Dr. O'Brien is helping at all, and this fucking lawsuit, and Jesus, Will, just fire me and maybe I could get some sleep!" He presses a kiss to the crown of her head and pulls back slightly to look at her.

"Not a chance in fucking hell," he replies. "Although I do think you could use some more sleep." He wants to take her on a trip. Election day is over, and there's no reason why they can't take a week off, go somewhere warm and peaceful and let Mackenzie relax, but he knows that she'll never agree to it. Not right now. Not with Maggie hurting and in the middle of the lawsuit. "Why don't you go home? Jim can fill in tonight. Take a couple of the pills that Dr. O'Brien prescribed and get some sleep."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You need to sleep too," Mac points out. "I'll be fine. I just need to pull myself together. It's fine. I'm fine. Honestly. I can do the show tonight."

"No," his voice is firm. "Executive decision." He opens the door and calls out to Sloan, who appears a moment later. "Sloan, would you mind taking tonight off?" She looks confused, but she shrugs. "I'd like you to take Mac out and get her really, impressively drunk, and then take her back to our apartment and make sure she gets some sleep. Getting some good food into her would also not be out of line."

"I'm right here," Mac huffs. "I'm not a child. I don't have to take tonight off if I don't want to."

"I know," he acknowledges. "You don't have to, but Mac, please. You're about to fall over. You need a break. We'll be okay here."

"Could be fun," Sloan jumps in. "And I imagine it's on Will?"

He fishes out his wallet and hands Sloan his credit card. Sloan cheers softly, and then tilts her head to look at Mackenzie.

"Come on, Kenz," she wheedles. "We have Will's Amex, we have a night off, don't make me beg."

"Okay," Mac nods. "Fine."

"Excellent. I'll see you downstairs in five," Sloan says, and as soon as she leaves, Mac's mouth is on Will's. When she pulls away, she has a slight smile on her face.

"I'm not sure if I'm angry or not with you right now," she admits. "But I'll worry about that later." And she gives him another kiss and disappears through the door with a little wave.


	5. And pray that she makes it through

Congratulations to Jeff Daniels and his Emmy win! Woo hoo! Also, I'm really enjoying all the post-finale fics! Keep up the good work!

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own the characters.

* * *

Will is exhausted when he finally gets home that night. He hated having someone else in his ear, but he had gotten a few texts and check ins from both Mackenzie and Sloan, and he knew that Mac had needed the night off more than he needed her to be there.

Sloan's still there when he walks in the door, and he spies a few bags near the door and an open and nearly empty bottle of wine on the table. Mac smiles at him widely, and squeaks, "Billy!" when he walks in, jumping up and stumbling over to where he's dead on his feet and twining her arms around his neck. She presses her face into his neck and brushes a kiss over his pulse point, and he tightens his hold on her.

She's drunk, that's for certain, so Sloan has done her job.

"Hi," he tells her and she pulls back and gives him a sloppy, happy grin, and it makes his less than wonderful night worth it.

"Hi," she repeats, and he gives her a kiss on the nose. "Thank you, Billy. I needed this." And she releases her hold, returning to the couch next to Sloan and curling her legs underneath her.

"I suppose I have to thank you too," Sloan speaks up, taking a long sip of her wine. "But considering I helped Kenz pick out the lingerie that she's going to use to thank you later, I feel like maybe we're even." Will thought he had spotted a La Perla bag, and he nods a couple of times, heaving himself over to the chair opposite Mac's and dropping down into it heavily.

"We watched the show," Mac reports.

"Mac made the bartender change the channel," Sloan adds. "She was very persistent." Mac beams, and leans over to pour herself another glass of wine, finishing off the bottle.

"You should make yourself a drink," Mac suggests. "Catch up, Billy."

"Yeah, _Billy_," Sloan chimes in with a shit-eating grin. He knows that nickname is going to come back to haunt him. "Catch up." Sloan's a little drunk too, he can see, although she's got nothing on Mac.

Will takes her advice and makes his way over to the bar to fix himself a drink. He takes a long sip and feels Mac's hands snake around his waist. He smiles when she rests her cheek against his back.

"Just wait until you see what I bought you to thank you for tonight," Mac says, her words slightly muffled.

"I think that's my cue to leave," Sloan speaks up, and Will can't help but grin, as he turns around and tucks Mac under his arm.

"So soon? The night is young," his tone is teasing, and he loves Sloan, he does, but he wants her the hell out of their apartment right now. All he wants to do is to crawl into bed with Mac and feel her warm body pressed up against his.

"Don't worry, Billy," she mirrors his grin. "I'm just going to continue my fun elsewhere."

"Tell Don we said hello," Will replies, and she blushes and he considers it payback for her use of Billy.

"Shut up," Sloan replies sweetly.

"I had fun," Mac tells Sloan, slipping out from Will's grasp. "Thank you. Are you okay getting home?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Sloan waves her hand.

"I'll call you a cab," Will offers, and grabs his phone from his pocket to order a car. He can vaguely see Mac wrapping her arms around Sloan and repeating her gratitude. He finishes the call and tells Sloan that a car in on its way.

"Walk her out, Billy," Mac demands lazily, draping herself across the couch and draining her wine.

"Come on," he offers his arm, gallantly, to Sloan who takes it and waves goodbye to Mac. He presses the button for the elevator, and he waits until the doors slide shut before he speaks. "She really needed that, Sloan. So thank you, again."

"She needs more than just one night where she gets drunk," Sloan says. "You know that right? She's barely holding it together."

"I'm not sure what to do," his voice is strained, and she can see the toll this is taking on him too.

"I could kill Jerry Dantana," Sloan mutters. She's not sure what to do either. She knows that Mac is trying to help Maggie, and she can see that whatever Mac is doing is helping, Maggie certainly seems less fragile lately, but the cost has been that the usually unbreakable Mackenzie has looked lost the past few weeks. The lawsuit has been filed, and already it's been tough, and Sloan knows it's going to get worse before it gets better.

"Jerry's only half the problem," Will replies. "It's been a pretty fucking shitty year."

"It'll get better," Sloan's not sure if it will, but she knows enough about social interactions to know that's what she's supposed to say. They step out into the lobby, and Sloan surprises both of them by giving Will a fierce hug. "You're doing the best you can, Will. Everyone's doing the best they can with a horrible situation. Go back upstairs, pour yourself another scotch and just hold her. That's the best advice I can give."

"You're a better friend than you give yourself credit for," Will tells her. The car pulls up, and he leans in and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "Go. Call Don."

"Goodnight, Billy," Sloan smirks.

"Can't you forget you heard that?"

"Oh, oh, no," Sloan shakes her head. "I can't." And she gives him a little wave as she disappears into the cab.

* * *

When he gets back up to their apartment, he finds Mackenzie fast asleep on the couch. He pours himself a scotch and sits down next to her feet, pulling her legs onto his lap. Mackenzie is only quiet and still really when she's sleeping, and he takes this opportunity to just sit and memorize her face.

She's beautiful, the most beautiful woman he's ever known, and he drinks in the sight of her. He finishes his drink, and leans forward to place the glass down on the coffee table. He rubs her leg and says her name softly to wake her. Mac stirs, rubbing her eyes and blinking at him.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I know that you're exhausted, but you don't want to sleep here all night," his voice is soft, and helps her sit up and wraps his arms around her and presses a kiss to her temple.

"I wanted to show you what I bought," she whines a little and he chuckles.

"Tomorrow," he says. "I look forward to it. Now, let's go to sleep and not wake up for at least nine hours." Mac shakes her head sleepily.

"I promised to take Maggie to her appointment in the morning," Mac mumbles, as she climbs to her feet and leans heavily onto Will as they make their way slowly down the hall.

"I think," Will pauses, trying to gather his thoughts. "Maybe we could see if Jim could take her instead?" Mac stops, and looks over at Will.

"I promised," she says. "She doesn't want Jim to take her. I promised her that I'd be there for her through all of this."

"And you have been," Will replies. "But honey, you can't, and _shouldn't_, do it all alone. We all care about Maggie, we're all worried about Maggie, but right now, I'm worried about _you._"

"I'm fine," Mac dismisses. Will doesn't want to fight with her. She's exhausted. He's exhausted. The last thing that either of them needs is an argument, but the words are pouring out of his mouth before he can stop them.

"You're really not. You haven't slept in weeks, and it's starting to show."

"Excuse me?" Mac steps back from him and although her voice is sharp, he can see that she's a little hurt.

"Mac, come on, you know I think you are the most gorgeous thing on the planet," he says. "That has not changed, that will never change, but you're starting looking like an extra from _Night of the Living Dead._ All I'm trying to say is maybe tomorrow Jim can take Maggie to her appointment and you can get a little more sleep."

"I promised," she repeats, but he can see her resolve is weakening.

"Let's just see if Jim can take her, okay? We'll start there," he steps towards her and pulls her into his arms. She grips his sweater, twisting the material in her fingers and rests her head against his chest.

"I'm so tired, Will," she mutters, and he tightens his hold on her.

"Let's go to bed, Mac," he murmurs, kissing the top of her head, and leading her into the bedroom. She's tired and half drunk still, and he helps her out of her clothes before stripping down himself and climbing into bed behind her.

Will shoots off a message to Jim quickly, Mac asleep before her head even hit the pillow, and Jim replies right away that of course he's around to take Maggie, but he's not so sure that will be okay with Maggie.

"Let me handle that," Will writes back, and sends another message to Maggie explaining the situation. He knows everyone is handling Maggie with kid gloves, but she's a reasonable, intelligent adult, and despite the fact that she's having a hard time, she's still the same empathetic and compassionate young woman he met years ago, and he's hoping that she understands that Mac is struggling too.

_I don't mean to be a burden_, Maggie types back, and shit, he's really terrible at this. He's making things worse, and all he wants to do is help, goddamn it. He just wants Mackenzie to be able to sleep longer than two hours at any given stretch, and he wants the old Maggie back. The sweet one, the one that wasn't all sharp angles and harsh tones, and was that too much to ask for?

_You aren't,_ he writes back. _Mac wants to take you. This is me being worried and overprotective. _He crosses his fingers, and waits for her response.

_She _has_ looked exhausted lately. Tell her not to worry about it. I'll ask Lisa or Jim to take me._ And Will lets out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding.

_Thanks Maggie, Jim's already said he can. Just give him a call. We'll see you tomorrow. _He sends off another message to Jim telling him to be ready for Maggie's call, and turns off his phone, turns off Mackenzie's alarm, and wraps his arms around Mac and closes his eyes finally.


End file.
